Automatically-operated circuit-breaker.



J. M. BOSENBURY.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED cIRcuIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I2. 1915.

Patented June 5, 1917.

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AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATED CIRCUIT-BREAKER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 12121..

Application filed July 12, 1915. Serial No. 39,296..

I '0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, JosnPH M. lBosnn- BURY, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful lmprovements in rlutomatically'-0perated Circuit-Breakers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for controlling electricallypropelled vehicles or trains, and more particularly where a fluid pressure braking system is employed.

Various devices have heretofore been pro posed for, efiecting an application of the brakes and automatically opening the motor circuit whenever the controller handle is released by the motorman in any of its operating positions,

T e principal object of my invention is to provide an improved device 01: the above character and in which the motor circuit is opened before the brakes are applied.

, In the accompanying drawing; Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in section, of 111g my 1nvention; Fig. 2 a sectional view of the controller handle mechanism, showing the handle in position with the operators hand removed; Fig. 3 a similar view, showing the controller handle locked in the d position; and Fig, ia planview of the controller.

My invention is shown in the drawing as applied in connection with a pilot valve 1 which is adapted when opened to vent fluid under pressure from a pipe 2 which leads to an emergency an application of the brakes when the pressure in the pipe 2 is reduced, a construction of this character being shown and described in a prior Patent No. 1,145,045 of W. V. Turner, dated July 6, 1915.

llhe pipe 2 opens into valve chamber 3, and in the present instance, instead of venting fluid directly to the atmosphere, the. pilot valve 1, when opened, vents fluid to a pipe 1- which leads to piston chamber 5 in a casing 6 and containmg a piston 7. The piston l is normally maintained in its inoperative position by a spring 8 and carries a stem 9 adapted to engage the lever 10 ot a motor circuit breaker 11.,

For operating the pilot valve 1, a lever 12 is pivoted to a bracket 13 secured to the ed to engage trunnions carried valve device adapted to efiect controller 1 1 and said lever is provided with a finger 15 adapted to engage the stern of the pilot valve 1.

The controller handle 16 is pivoted for vertical movement on a handle bracket 1'? secured tothe controller shaft 18 and has a rearwardly extending forked arm 12 adaptby a vertically movable rod 20. i

The lower end of the rod 20 is adapted to engage the upper surface of the lever 12 and a spring 21 acts on the rod with a tendency to force the same downwardly.

' ln operation, so long as the operator holds the controller handle down in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the opera tion will be the. same as that of the usual controller, If the operator releases the handle in any of its operating positions, however, the spring 21 will immediately act to shift the rod 20 to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, thereby depressing the lever 12 so as to cause the finger 15 to open the pilot valve sure is then vented from pipe 2 to pipe 4 and the piston is operated to throw the switch lever 10 so as to open the-motor circuit.

When the piston 7 has moved out beyond the exhaust port 22, fluid will be vented from pipe 4 and consequently from the pipe 2 so that the emergency valve device will be operated by the reduction in fluid pressure to sheet an application of the brakes.

The lever 12 is prevented from operating in fofi position by providing a lug 23 on the lever 12 which extends up and around another lug24- carried by the handle bracket 17, so that when the handle is moved to 0d position, with the handle depressed, the lug 24 will pass under the lug 23 and thus prevent the spring 21 from forcing the rod 20 downward, as shown in Fig. 3.. The handle 16 may be interlocked, to prevent moven1entfrom otl" position until the handle is depressed, by providing a hole 25 in the lever 12, into which the end of the rod 20 is adapted to drop when the controller handle is moved to oil position and the handle is released. By this means, the handle is looked in oft osition, from which it cannot be moved without first'depressing the handle,

1. Fluid under pres Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by last ters Patent, is:

l. lhe combination with a controller handle, of a motor circuit breaker and means operated by fluid under pressure upon release of the controller handle for first effect: ing the movement of the circuit breaker to open the motor circuit and for then venting fluid to efi'ect an application of the brakes.

2. The combination with a controller handle, of a motor circuit breaker, a pipe a reduction in fluid pressure in which operates to effect an application of the brakes, valve means operated upon release of the controller handle by the operator for venting fluid from said pipe, and a piston device op erated by fluid vented from said pipe for first efiecting the movement of the circuit breaker to open the motor circuit and then adapted to open a vent port from said pipe to effect a reduction in pressure therein and thereby produce an application of the brakes.

8. The combination with a controller handle, of a switch for controlling the motor circuit, a pipe normally charged with fluid under pressure, a reduction in pressure in which operates to effect an application of the brakes, a piston operated by fluid pressure for first eflecting I the movement of said switch to open the motor circuit and "for then opening an atmospheric vent port to permit the escape of fluid under pressure, and a pilot valve operated upon the release of the controller handle by the operator for opening communication for admitting fluid from said pipe to said piston.

4. The combination with a controller handle, of a vent valve, a lever operated upon release of the controller handle by the operator for actuating said valve, and a locking device for preventing movement of the lever when the controller handle is in oil position.

5. The combination with a controller handle, of a vent valve, a lever operated. upon release of the controller handle by the operator for actuating said valve, a lug car ried by the lever, a lug movable with said handle and adapted to interlock with the lug on the lever in the oil' position of the handle to prevent movement of the lever when the handle is released by the operator.

6. The combination with a controller handle, of a pilot valve, a lever for operating said valve, a spring, and a rod operated by said spring upon release of the controller handle by the operator for actuating sai lever, and adapted to engage in a recess in the lever when the controller handle is in off position, to prevent movement of the handle from said position unless the handle is depressed.

Iii-testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JCSEPH M. BUSENBURY.

JVitnesses ls. Senna, Moses. 

